Extreme heat events are intensifying across South Asia, exacerbated by rapid urbanization, land use change and infrastructural disparities. In Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley, urban and peri urban areas face growing concern of heat risks and adaptive constraints. Furthermore, the social dimensions of heat vulnerability in these contexts remain underexplored, particularly non-economic losses such as deteriorating health, compromised well-being and disruptions to social and cultural life. This study investigates how residents of peri-urban Kathmandu perceive and experience heat stress beyond measurable economic damages. Through in-depth semi-structured interviews with male and female members of the same households, we examine intra-household dynamics around heat perception, coping strategies, and barriers to adaptation. Findings reveal that vulnerability to heat is not only shaped by material deficits (such as the lack of cooling infrastructure or housing materials) but also by social factors including gendered labor burden, caregiver responsibilities and fractures community networks. Our findings detail the social and infrastructural inequities that shape how heat is felt, lived and survived within urban cites and at its peri urban margins. By centering non-economic dimensions of heat vulnerability, this research calls for a rethinking of urban heat adaptation strategies in Nepal and similar contexts.